Whenever I finish writing a book, I always make it a point to post the dedication and acknowledgements for the book on my personal blog. This is no different with Applied Network Security Monitoring, so I’d like to take the opportunity to share those items now. I said that I wanted to write this book over three years ago, and finishing it and holding it in my hands is a dream come true that wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of help.
Dedication
This book is a product of strength gained through love. This book is dedicated to God, my wife Ellen, and all those who continue to love and support me.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
– Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
Acknowledgements
2 Corinthians 12 says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Writing Applied NSM was nothing short of a testament to God’s power being made perfect in weakness. This book was easily one of the most difficult projects I’ve ever taken on, and it was faith in Him that allowed me to persevere. Because of Him, this book and everything I do is possible, and I sincerely hope that my work here can serve as a witness to God’s awesome power.
This book was made possible through the direct and indirect contributions of a great number of people. I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge them.
Ellen, you are my love, my support, my strength, and my biggest fan. None of this would be possible without you. I want to thank you for putting up with the stress, the despair, the crazy hours, and the overall madness that comes from the book writing process. I also want to thank you for helping to copyedit the book. I suppose that English major finally came in handy. I love you, and I’m so proud to be your husband.
Mom and Dad, I am the person I am because of your influence. Everything I do is, and will continue to be, a tribute to the character you both exhibit and the love you both shared. I love you, Dad. RIP, Mom.
Sanders Family, although we are a small group, the love shared between us is something that is immense, and is so important to me. Even though we are far apart, I know you love and support me and I’m thankful for that.
Perkins Family, The way you’ve welcomed me into your lives has been truly amazing, and I’m blessed to have your love and support.
Jason Smith, you are quite literally the smartest person I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. More than being a great co-worker and co-author, you’ve always proven to be a great friend. I don’t hesitate to say that you’ve been like a brother to me. I’m eternally grateful for it all.
David Bianco and Liam Randall, I can’t thank you enough for contributing to this book. Your contributions are valued more than you can imagine.
Regarding my coworkers (past and present), I’ve always believed that if a person surrounds himself with good people, he will become a better person. I have the good fortune of working with some great people who are some of the best and brightest in the business. I want to give special thanks to my InGuardians family: Jimmy, Jay, Suzanne, Teresa, John, Tom, Don, Rad, Larry, Jaime, James, Bob, and Alec. I want to extend special appreciation to Mike Poor, who wrote the foreword for this book and continues to be one of my packet ninja idols.
Syngress staff, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to write this book, and helping this dream become a reality.
The technical content and direction of this book is a product of more individuals than I could possibly name, but I’m going to try anyway. In addition to those listed above, I’d like to thank the following people for their contribution; whether it was reviewing a chapter or letting me bounce some ideas off of you, this wouldn’t be possible without all of you:
Alexi Valencia, Ryan Clark, Joe Kadar, Stephen Reese, Tara Wink, Doug Burks, Richard Bejtlich, George Jones, Richard Friedberg, Geoffrey Sanders, Emily Sarneso, Mark Thomas, Daniel Ruef, the rest of the CERT NetSA team, Joel Esler, the Bro team, Mila Parkour, Dustin Weber, and Daniel Borkmann.